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Trusted by Fintechs & Financial Institutions

KYC / KYB Program Design

Knowing who you're doing business with is one of the most fundamental obligations in financial crime compliance. Pillars FinCrime Advisory designs KYC and KYB programs that collect the right information, apply the right level of due diligence, and create a clear audit trail that satisfies regulators and bank partners. From customer onboarding workflows to enhanced due diligence frameworks, we build programs that manage risk without creating unnecessary friction for your customers or your team.
Fractional Compliance Services

What Goes Into a KYC / KYB Program That Actually Works

A strong KYC and KYB program does more than collect documents at onboarding. It applies the right level of scrutiny to the right customers, keeps pace with risk changes over time, and creates a clear record that holds up under examination.

Customer Identification Program

We design your CIP to collect the right identifying information at onboarding, verify it appropriately, and document the process in a way that meets FinCEN requirements and satisfies bank partner expectations without creating unnecessary friction.

Customer Due Diligence Framework

We build a risk-based CDD framework that applies the right level of scrutiny based on customer risk. Lower-risk customers move through efficiently. Higher-risk customers get the deeper review they require. Everything is documented and defensible.

Enhanced Due Diligence

We design EDD workflows for your highest-risk customer relationships, making sure your team knows when to trigger enhanced review, what to collect, and how to document the process in a way that demonstrates meaningful oversight.

KYB Program Design

Onboarding business customers requires a different approach than individual consumers. We build KYB frameworks that identify beneficial ownership, assess business risk, and apply appropriate due diligence to the entities your organization works with.

Ongoing Customer Review

KYC doesn't end at onboarding. We help you build ongoing monitoring and periodic review processes that keep your customer risk profiles current and trigger appropriate action when something changes in a customer's behavior or circumstances.

Policy & Procedure Documentation

We document your KYC and KYB program in clear, comprehensive policies and procedures that give your team actionable guidance and give regulators and bank partners evidence of a well-designed, well-governed onboarding process.

Know Your Customer. Know Your Business.

Your KYC Program Should Protect Your Organization Without Slowing It Down

A poorly designed KYC or KYB program creates problems on both ends. Too loose and you're onboarding customers you shouldn't be, creating regulatory exposure and putting your bank partner relationship at risk. Too rigid and you're creating friction that drives away legitimate customers and slows your business down. Pillars designs KYC and KYB programs that find the right balance, applying risk-based scrutiny where it belongs while keeping your onboarding process efficient for the customers who deserve a smooth experience.

kyc-kyb-program-design
What's Included

The Building Blocks of Every KYC / KYB Program Pillars Designs

Every effective KYC and KYB program is built on a set of core components that work together to identify, verify, and monitor the customers and businesses your organization works with. Here's what we make sure you have in place.

Identity Verification
A clear, compliant process for verifying who your customers and business partners actually are at onboarding, with documentation that creates a solid audit trail from day one.
Risk-Based Due Diligence
A tiered due diligence framework that applies standard, enhanced, or simplified review based on each customer's risk profile, making sure your resources are focused where the risk actually is.
Beneficial Ownership
A structured KYB process that identifies and verifies the individuals who ultimately own or control the businesses you work with, meeting FinCEN beneficial ownership requirements completely.
Ongoing Monitoring
Periodic review processes that keep your customer profiles current, identify changes in risk over time, and make sure your program stays responsive to what's actually happening in your customer relationships.

Compliance Leadership That Moves With Your Business

Our fractional model is built for organizations that need real compliance expertise — not a checkbox solution. We bring the depth of a seasoned compliance executive with the flexibility your business actually needs.

Whether you're a fintech navigating your first bank partner relationship, a payments company scaling through regulatory scrutiny, or an established institution filling a compliance leadership gap — Pillars FinCrime Advisory provides the right level of expertise at the right time. Our fractional leaders don't just advise from the sidelines. We embed into your operations, own the program, and work alongside your team to build something that actually holds up under pressure.
12+ Years
Financial Crime Expertise
Flexible Engagements
Monthly, Project, or Interim
Full Ownership
Not Just Advisory — Execution
Client Impact

Built for the Challenges Fintechs Actually Face

From first-time compliance builds to regulatory remediation and bank partner readiness — see how Pillars FinCrime Advisory helps organizations move forward with confidence, clarity, and programs that hold up under scrutiny.

Pillars helped us navigate a complex regulatory review with confidence. Their hands-on approach and deep understanding of fintech compliance made all the difference. Our program is now scalable and audit-ready.

JD

James Donovan

Chief Compliance Officer

The fractional CCO service provided exactly what we needed—senior-level expertise without the overhead. Joshua and his team integrated seamlessly with our operations and gave us the strategic guidance to grow safely.

SW

Sarah Wagner

Head of Risk

From transaction monitoring optimization to KYC redesign, Pillars delivered measurable improvements. Alert quality is up, operational friction is down, and we're better prepared for regulatory exams.

MT

Michael Thompson

VP, Compliance Operations

Pillars helped us navigate a complex regulatory review with confidence. Their hands-on approach and deep understanding of fintech compliance made all the difference. Our program is now scalable and audit-ready.

JD

James Donovan

Chief Compliance Officer

The fractional CCO service provided exactly what we needed—senior-level expertise without the overhead. Joshua and his team integrated seamlessly with our operations and gave us the strategic guidance to grow safely.

SW

Sarah Wagner

Head of Risk

From transaction monitoring optimization to KYC redesign, Pillars delivered measurable improvements. Alert quality is up, operational friction is down, and we're better prepared for regulatory exams.

MT

Michael Thompson

VP, Compliance Operations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between KYC and KYB and do we need both?
KYC covers individual customer identification and verification while KYB applies to business entities, including identifying their beneficial owners. Whether you need one or both depends entirely on who your customers are. Pillars designs whichever framework your organization requires and makes sure the two work together seamlessly when both apply.
What are the FinCEN beneficial ownership requirements and how do they affect our KYB program?
FinCEN requires covered financial institutions to identify and verify individuals who own 25% or more of a legal entity customer and one person who controls it. Your KYB program needs a clear process for collecting, verifying, and documenting that information at onboarding and keeping it current. Pillars builds that process into every KYB framework we design.
How do we decide which customers need enhanced due diligence versus standard due diligence?
That decision should be driven by a risk-based framework looking at customer type, geography, business activity, transaction behavior, and adverse information. Pillars designs your EDD trigger criteria and review process so your team has clear, consistent guidance on when enhanced review is required and what it needs to include.
How often should we be reviewing existing customer relationships?
Regulators expect ongoing monitoring of customer relationships beyond the initial onboarding review. The frequency and depth should be risk-based, with higher-risk customers reviewed more often and more thoroughly. Pillars helps you build a customer review program that is practical, appropriately scaled, and documented in a way that demonstrates your program stays current with changes in customer risk.

Who We Work With

Pillars FinCrime Advisory partners with a range of organizations across the financial services ecosystem — from early-stage startups to established institutions managing complex compliance demands.

Houston, Texas

Headquarters

United States

Remote & On-Site Engagements

Founded 2025

By Joshua Douglas

Fintechs

Payments Companies

Sponsor Banks

Financial Institutions

Why Pillars
The Pillars Difference
Operator-Led Expertise
Founded by a compliance executive with 12+ years in financial crime, our advice comes from real program ownership. Not theory. Not guesswork.
Practical & Scalable
We take a data-driven approach that grows with your business. The goal is always the same: strong regulatory confidence without slowing you down.
True Partnership
We don't just hand over a report and walk away. We embed into your team, take ownership of outcomes, and stay accountable to the work we do together.
Ready to Strengthen Your Financial Crime Program?
Let's discuss your compliance needs today
Reach out to Joshua Douglas and the Pillars team at 281-825-1603 or pillarsfincrimeadvisory@gmail.com . Whether you're launching a new product, preparing for regulatory review, or scaling your compliance program—we're here to help.
Headquarters: Houston, Texas (Serving clients nationwide)
Contact Us Today